The new Premier League season starts in August so we are taking an early look at the betting for the top four. The market is dominated by the usual suspects but clubs such as Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United will be aiming to improve on their 2023/24 efforts.
Premier League Top Four Finish Odds
Team | Odds |
Man City | 1/10 |
Arsenal | 2/9 |
Liverpool | 1/2 |
Chelsea | 11/8 |
Man Utd | 2/1 |
Newcastle | 2/1 |
Tottenham | 2/1 |
Aston Villa | 3/1 |
All Others | 14/1 or more |
All odds courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change
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Last season's champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal lead the betting ahead of Arne Slot's Liverpool.
However, there is the potential for shocks in this market as Newcastle made the top four in 2022/23 and Aston Villa secured Champions League qualification by finishing fourth last term.
Big two expected to lead the charge again
Man City and Arsenal have finished first and second in the Premier League in the last two seasons and they are expected to lead the way once again.
It seems unlikely that either of the two will miss out on the top four as City have won the title in six of the past seven seasons and Arsenal finished 23 points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham last term.
The Gunners have made impressive progress under Mikel Arteta and their young squad will be aiming high once again.
Reds and Blues aim for fast starts under new managers
Both Liverpool and Chelsea kick off the new season under new management and it will be interesting to see how strongly they start 2024/25.
Liverpool's boss Arne Slot certainly has big shoes to fill at Anfield after Jurgen Klopp's nine years at the helm and the Reds will be hoping to keep hold of talisman Mohamed Salah.
Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea exit came as a shock after the Blues' strong finish to his first season in charge but the club moved swiftly to appoint Enzo Maresca as his successor.
The Italian worked under Pep Guardiola at City before leading Leicester to Championship glory last term and his Chelsea side are 11/8 to make the top four after finishing sixth and 12th in the previous two campaigns.
Villa hoping to kick on after memorable campaign
Aston Villa and Newcastle have both secured Champions League football over the past couple of years and they will be hoping to prove that feat was no fluke.
Unai Emery's Villa pipped Tottenham to fourth spot in 2023/24, helped by their outstanding home record in the first half of the season.
Villa showed they could mix it with the top clubs, beating champions City and completing a league double over Arsenal, but their participation in the new-look Champions League format could prove a distraction.
Newcastle had a tough 2023/24 campaign as a string of injuries hampered their chances, but they still finished seventh and only City, Arsenal and Liverpool scored more than their 85 league goals.
Both clubs need to strengthen their squads if they are to compete with the more established top-four teams but the Magpies' star players Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes have been linked with moves away from St James' Park.
Ten Hag's United bidding to bounce back
Tottenham and Manchester United are interesting contenders, particularly as Spurs came so close to making the top four in Ange Postecoglou's first season.
A run of five defeats in their last seven games undermined Tottenham's chances as they ended up two points behind Villa in fourth.
The signings of exciting teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall bode well for the future at Spurs, while United fans will expect more from young stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
Manager Erik ten Hag defied the odds to land a contract extension at Old Trafford, having masterminded a famous victory over rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
However, doubts remain over United's attacking quality as they scored only 57 goals last term, 17 fewer than any other team in the top eight, so they clearly have ground to make up on their rivals.
There is a big gap below the top eight in the betting with Brighton and West Ham, both at 14/1, rated the most likely outsiders to break into the top four.
How does Top 4 betting work?
Betting on the Premier League top 4 is super easy and simple to understand, as well as being extremely popular among punters, all of whom want to see their teams succeed in the league, with the Champions League places usually being the bar for this.
Teams can finish anywhere between 1st and 4th to qualify for the top 4 finish.
Winning bets, both single or accumulators, will be paid out either on the final day of the season, when the league placings have been finalised. Or will be paid out as a winner when the teams are mathematically confirmed as top 4 finishers.
This means that they cannot on points or goal difference be knocked out of the top 4 by any of the sides below them.
If you have bet on two, three or all four of the top four finishers, then each leg will be confirmed as a win, as these sides are mathematically confirmed, but the whole bet will only be paid out as a winner, when all the legs are satisfied.